Its pretty amazing when you think about it. Detroit basically had the same 4th line players for about 15 years. The Wings still had about 1/4 of their 95 runner up team. Talk about longevity/team loyalty.

Thanks for a great career Malts! I'm looking forward to looking up at the press box at The Joe and seeing you and Cheli hanging with Kenny and Jimmy Nill (assuming you and Cheli are taking Verbeek's and Yzerman's old jobs).

So... Maltby what was the point of signing a contract if you was just going to retire?

When I read some of the posts in this thread, I am just appalled. Here is a guy that gave his heart and soul to the organization. He was a penalty killer and a grind liner. You don't win four Stanley Cups by accident. Detroit knew what they had here and they treated him well for many years. In return, he gave everything he had to the organization.

Yet, some of the fans on this forum piss on him and other players. Even Lidstrom is a target by some people, which is disgusting being as that we are all fans of the Red Wings here. This isn't the HFboards where there are asshats a plenty out there that like to start flame wars with other teams and fans.

I expect people here will be supportive of their Red Wings and the management. After all, they deserve to have our support being as that they haven't missed the playoffs in 25 of the last 27 seasons and the last 19 in a row. The players have shown that they care about playing in Detroit by giving it their all season after season after season.

Here is Maltby, a player who has given it their all for years. 75% of the posts here have the right attitude, which is supportive and remembering what Maltby brought to the table. The rest of the posters here are true morons. If not for the fact that they don't remember what Maltby did for the organization, but because he is a Red Wing. He will take a job in the front office because the Red Wings care about their players and the players care about playing here. I don't see this kind of commitment from many organizations out there.

Support your Red Wings guys. They are your team. If you don't like the team, go bandwagon on the Sharks and Hawks. I heard they need more fans on the bandwagon these days.

Happy retirement Maltby! You will be missed.

Thanks Nightfall. I was around when the Wings weren't making the playoffs every year and I remember when we made the playoffs in 1988. I just remember how excited I was ( I was only 9), I thought then that this team was going to do something special, then followed up the next year with 19 wins and didn't even sniff the playoffs and I wondered what was next. We all now what happened, but I always kept the faith in this team. I think may people on this board were not around during the DeadWings era, because if they were, we would not see these crazy comments about players like Malts and Drapes and yes, Even Lidstrom (which just baffles me)!

I will always remember Maltby in the playoffs, right when we needed a big goal, everyone would pick Stevie, Shanny, Kozlov, Feds, ect and who ended up with a goal..... Kirk Maltby! As far as I'm concerned, Malts was one of the best faces of the organization that there ever was. Will the #18 go to the rafters, probably not, but he will always be at the top of the lists of players with the biggest heart and dedication. We'll miss you Malts!! GO WINGS!!

I wish he had retired so that Ritola could have been retained, but it wasn't reasonable to expect him to do so.

Maltby's decision had no bearing on the Wings having to send Ritola down to GR & go through waivers at all. It was a decision on only being able to keep 2 out of the 3 from Eaves, Miller, & Ritola. One had to naturally assume that unless he set the world on fire, Maltby wasn't going to stay with the big club. If he had, we would have been talking about keeping only 1 out of the 3 above.

Thanks Nightfall. I was around when the Wings weren't making the playoffs every year and I remember when we made the playoffs in 1988. I just remember how excited I was ( I was only 9), I thought then that this team was going to do something special, then followed up the next year with 19 wins and didn't even sniff the playoffs and I wondered what was next. We all now what happened, but I always kept the faith in this team. I think may people on this board were not around during the DeadWings era, because if they were, we would not see these crazy comments about players like Malts and Drapes and yes, Even Lidstrom (which just baffles me)!

I will always remember Maltby in the playoffs, right when we needed a big goal, everyone would pick Stevie, Shanny, Kozlov, Feds, ect and who ended up with a goal..... Kirk Maltby! As far as I'm concerned, Malts was one of the best faces of the organization that there ever was. Will the #18 go to the rafters, probably not, but he will always be at the top of the lists of players with the biggest heart and dedication. We'll miss you Malts!! GO WINGS!!

Thank you man.

Your post reminded me just how much of a new fan I am compared to those who were around in the 70-80s when they were called the "dead wings". I didn't get exposed to hockey until 1994 when I went to college at Ferris State. As of that moment when I went to a live college hockey game, I was hooked. I started watching the Wings that season, and getting swept in the finals by the Devils was horrible to experience.

You are right, the older fans of the team who have been around for a while have a whole new appreciation for members of the team who gave so much. Things like loyalty are hard to find in sports these days. In the working world, if someone gets cut from their job, its distasteful and backstabbing to do. In the sports world, if someone gets cut from a team, its a necessity because they want the team to win, win, and win some more. I want to win just as much as every other Wings fan. At the same time though, I praise the loyalty of the Wings organization.